1. Water Fight - Songkran, ThaiLand
This is how they ceLebrate New Years. It is heLd in ApriL for 5 days full. You can bring any water containers with you like water pistoLs, hose, etc. There's no safe pubLic place you can go.
2. Baby Jumping CoLacho FestivaL - Castrillo de Murcia, Spain
This is actually a baby bLessing ceremony. Well, Spanish styLe of baby bLessing, though. This is heLd during the annuaL Corpus Christi which the babies are laid on the ground, on a mattress for the rituaL. After that, grown men in deviL costumes jump over the babies. This rituaL is beLieved to cLeanse the babies of all eviL, aLso for their good luck and heaLth. But recentLy, the priests there have been ordered to stay away from this rituaL aLthough this festivaL has been heLd annually since 1620.
3. Cheese Rolling FestivaL - Glouchestershire, UK
In short, this is a festivaL when peopLe are in a race chasing after a 7-8lb DoubLe Glouchestershire Cheese. Where this festivaL is heLd is what makes this interesting. "One to be ready! Two to be steady! Three to be prepare! And four to be off!" the Master of Ceremonies shouts the contestants off the incredibLy steep Cooper's Hill. This is how they weLcome summer time for more than 200 years.
4. Kanamara Matsuri - Kawasaki, Japan
You can easiLy recognize this festivaL when you see a pink penis parade, where the huge pink penis being tugged across the street. This is actually an ancient Shinto festivaL designed to honour fertiLity, prevent STDs and to raise money for HIV researches. What a coincidence, Kanamara Matsuri is on the first Sunday of ApriL. So, you'll see many peopLe bringing that huge pink penis, followed by more peopLe eating penis candy or wearing penis accessories, whiLe others are looking for eggs, eating chocoLate and chasing bunny rabbits for Easter day of Christians.
5. Monkey Buffet - Lopburi, ThaiLand
To honour Rama, a hero of Ramayana, who has rewarded his friend Hanuman the Monkey King with the freedom of what is now Lopburi, monkeys are invited to eat fruits and vegetabLes (aLthough you can find sausages, or PringLes, or even Coke served there for them). This is heLd at the Pra Prang Sam Yot tempLe, Lopburi.
6. Noche de Rabanos (Night of the Radishes) - Oaxaca, Mexico
Back to coLoniaL times, the missionaries taught the natives how to cuLtivate radishes then they heLd a great exhibition of figures made of radishes. For now, artists from all over the worLd are invited to compete at this radish carving for prizes based on their abiLities. A loveLy fireworks dispLay ends this festivaL at night.
7. Tapati FestivaL - Easter IsLand
This summer festivaL has a lot in common with another ones, dances, art exhibitions, carving competitions, horse and boat races, queen seLection, etc. What makes it controversiaL is the Haka Pei, which is one of the main sporting events. The contestants wear a hami (loin cLoth) and body paint. They get on their own banana tree trunk to race, then sLide down a really steep hill at the top speed as fast as they can sLide.
8. The BattLe of Food - Ivrea, ItaLy
Usually, it is now oranges that are thrown in this battLe. Before the 19th century, it was beans. Somewhere during the 19th century, women started throwing oranges to the boys they like, and if the boy like the girL, then he shouLd throw back an orange to her. This started the orange battLe and peopLe use oranges ever since. Being heLd annually in February, ItaLian marks the end of the ruLe of a tyrant from the middLe ages.
9. WorLd Gurning Championship - Cumbria, UK
You can just call this the ugLiest face competition. The contestants stick their heads through a horse's collar then make grotesque faces, as ugLy as they can. They winner is the person who gets the most appLause from the audience.
10. HoLi (the FestivaL of CoLours) - India
People throw coLours here, which is powder called guLaL. The most popuLar coLours are green, yellow, red and orange. This Hindu spring festivaL is associated with Lord Khrisna. The food and drinks served in HoLi are laced with a locaL cannabis pLant calld bhang.
11. Fish-Swallowing FestivaL - Geraardsbergen, BeLgium
As a part of KrakeLingen FestivaL, Fish-Swallowing is heLd annually on the last Sunday of February. This is to commemorate an unsuccessfuL siege of the city. The locaLs guLp live gray fishes called grondeLing soaked in red wine. There are many activists hoLd protests against this festivaL to substitute the live fishes with fish-shaped marzipan.
12. Konaki Sumo - Japan
"Neru ko wa sodatsu" means "crying baby grow fast". This Japanese proverb is the main reason of why the locaLs have this festivaL since 400 years ago in many tempLes in Japan. Not all tempLes hoLd this festivaL, but each tempLe has its own scheduLe in different months. Two sumo wrestLers hoLding a baby each and face each other whiLe waiting for which baby is going to cry first to determine the winner. If the babies cry together at the same time, who cries louder is the winner.
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